ULTRAPERFORMING Beams/ Columns Doors ... - fen-om data

that virtually every curtain wall will leak; it is only a matter of when, where, and what it will cost
to fix. Developed by Dr. Raymond Ting, TingWall utilizes an “air loop” principle to neutralize the
effects of both wind and rain by incorporating separate air and water seals. The result is a curtain
wall system that can tolerate imperfect seals anywhere in the system and still not leak. TingWall
has surpassed the most rigorous AAMA standards in multiple tests, and can withstand greater
seismic and wind loads than a conventional system. TingWall is designed to allow for the use of
multiple facing materials without edge conflicts, and is cost competitive with so-called “stick”
systems.
www.tingwall.com
Water-Repelling Paint
The leaves of the lotus flower are water-repellent. After a shower of rain they immediately appear
dry and clean, as water runs off them like marbles off a glass plate. Lotusan has duplicated this
effect, one of nature’s own inventions which has proved itself over millions of years, in a new
silicone facade paint. Lotusan combines the well-known water-repellent properties of silicone
paints with a surface micro-structure based on the lotus leaf. This considerably reduces the
contact area for water and dirt, and adhesion is also greatly reduced. The result is that dirt
is repelled by water droplets and facades stay dry and clean - even highly stressed weatherexposed
facades. The lotus effect was discovered by Prof. Dr Wilhelm Barthlott of Bonn University,
a scientific achievement in the field of biology which created a worldwide sensation.
Wind Sculptures
Ned Kahn is an accomplished North California sculptor who deploys materials in order to celebrate
and amplify natural forces. His large-scale wind installations, which have names like Wind Portal,
Technorama Facade, and Fragmented Sea, utilize vast arrays panels made of aluminum, steel,
and other materials to shimmer and dance in the breeze, allowing the natural environment
to influence the design. In Articulated Cloud, for example, thousands of 9-inch squares of
perforated aluminum are mounted on low friction hinges so that the entire surface of the facade
responds to the wind. Each moving panel is perforated with thousands of different sized holes
that, when viewed from a distance, create a photographic mosaic of sand dune images. When
sunlight passes through the screens, intricate shadow images of the dunes are projected onto
the walls and floor of the building lobby.
http://nedkahn.com/wind.html
TRANSFORMATIONAL
Materials which undergo a physical morphosis based on environmental
stimuli.
Glazing
Lumisty Film
Lumisty first drew widespread attention when it was used on the windows of Pleats Please, Issey
Miyake’s clothing boutique in SoHo. Since then many of the world’s top designers and architects
have opted to put the film at the service of their own rich imaginations, and the results have been
stunning. Lumisty’s applications range from museums, hotels, banks, restaurants, and bars, to
storefronts, conference rooms, trade show exhibits-and even bathrooms. If you’ve seen Lumisty
in action you’ve experienced the unexpected visual sensation it creates. Upon first encountering
the product, people are often struck by what they think is an optical illusion. Walking past a
window with Lumisty applied, a perfectly clear, transparent glass surface becomes, in a step
or two, partially fogged. Two or three steps later, the same window is completely fogged. Walk
backward or forward, and it’s clear again. As the viewer’s angle shifts, so does the transparency
or translucency of the film.
www.lumistyfilm.com/lumisty.htm
SmartGlass
Suspended Particle Device (SPD) technology is a “switchable” light-control technology that has
numerous performance and cost advantages over other technologies. SPD-Smart products allow
you to instantly and precisely control how clear or dark glass or plastic is, and to easily adjust
the light transmission of the product manually or automatically. This is made possible by a thin,
flexible SPD film invented by Research Frontiers. Available as a film or already incorporated into
glass, SPD film can be easily adapted to a variety of products that people use every day, such as
architectural windows, automotive windows, sunglasses, display screens for laptop computers,
cellular telephones, instrument panels, electronic games and point-of-purchase and advertising